In People’s Lives, The Community, & The World

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Making a difference refers to the impact that your actions have on the world around you. While sometimes your actions have a negative impact, making a difference refers to the positive ways that you affect the world. Some examples of making a difference are listed below.

Smaller examples of making a difference:

• Volunteering time at the local library
• Cleaning up trash in your community
• Being kind to other people
• Donating blood

​Larger examples of making a difference:

• Adopting a child
• Community leadership
• Donating large sums of money
• Careers devoted to the health and safety of others, such as first responders and soldiers

Large or small, your actions have a direct impact on the world around you and you can decide what that impact will be.

Our behavior and actions have a direct impact on those around us. Even if you can’t see the results directly, choosing to be kind over being rude will likely have a positive effect on the people you interact with and your own psychological health. Just try and think about how you feel after someone is kind vs. when someone is insulting. 

A 2020 study even found that providing help to someone created psychological benefits for the helpers (Hui et al., 2020). That means that making a positive difference tends to be good for both the helper and receiver. 

If fighting fires isn’t your cup of tea, there are many other ways to make a difference within your community. 

Examples of ways people contribute to their communities:

• Picking up trash
• Shoveling snow on sidewalks
• Respecting other’s space and property
• Volunteering for other local organizations such as animal shelters or libraries

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” This applies to your local world and your broader world.

You can make a positive difference in the world just by trying to be more kind and giving back to your community–these actions have a positive ripple effect that can extend far beyond just those around you. However, if you have national or global issues that you are passionate about, you can donate your time or money to organizations representing that cause. For example, I have participated in Alzheimer’s Association fundraisers because my own grandmother has dementia. If you would like to check if a charity or organization is reputable, Charity Navigator is a great resource.

Have you ever volunteered? If not, it’s a great way to actually make a difference for something important to you. Volunteering has been shown to improve your psychological well-being (Piliavin & Siegl, 2007), which means you could experience benefits while also making a difference. 

There are countless organizations and causes that you can donate your time to. Take some time to think about what you might enjoy lending a hand to. Do you like working outside or with animals? Are you good at working with kids or older adults? Finding a cause that is meaningful to you means you will be motivated to do your best. Some areas you could try volunteering in are listed below.

Areas you can volunteer in:

• Animal Rescue
• Food bank
• Hospital
• Veterans Center
• Outdoor spaces

I volunteered at my local animal humane society walking dogs for a few years, and I have also volunteered with the Veterans Administration Hospital and the Special Olympics. Each of these experiences provided me with valuable lessons I still carry to this day. If you are not sure where to start, Volunteer Match is a website that can help you find local non-profit volunteer opportunities. Any organization you choose would be lucky to have your time and support

There are many careers that can be considered to be “in service” of others. These types of jobs are critical to providing aid, in one way or another, to the community around them. These people have a direct impact on individual members of their community and society at large. Without them, the world would not be able to function as it currently does. 

Careers that make a difference:

• Firefighter
• Teacher
• Nurse
• Paramedic
• Social Worker
• Local service personnel (plumbers, electricians, etc.)

Do you feel like you make a difference for others at your job? If not, you can have a positive impact just by treating your co-workers and/or customers with kindness and respect.

Do you feel like you want to make more of a difference? Keep reading to learn how you can leave your mark on the world.

1. Spend some time thinking about the things you care about the most. Are you raising children? Does a family member have a disability or disease you can advocate for? Are you passionate about rescuing animals or cleaning up forests? It’s much easier to put effort towards things that you care about. 
2. Evaluate the places in your life where you are already making a difference. Even if you don’t realize it, there are likely many areas of your life where you are already making a difference. Maybe you set a good example of regulating your emotions for your child. Maybe you have a co-worker who strives to follow in your footsteps. Perhaps you rescued an animal from being run over on a busy street. All of these small actions can have a positive outward ripple effect.
3. Decide where—and if—you could devote more time and energy. Sometimes our plates are full and there simply isn’t any extra time or energy to take on extra responsibilities. Even if you don’t have the time to commit to volunteering, putting more kindness into everyday interactions or learning to be more selfless is a small gesture that makes a big difference.
4. Take action. The only way to actually make a difference is to take action. This action does not have to be huge, like changing career paths (though some people do make that decision). The action can be signing up to volunteer once a month, learning and implementing strategies to be a better leader or parent, or even just being deliberately kind to other people.

We all need a little encouragement now and then. Keep these quotes handy for the times you need extra inspiration to make a difference in the world around you. 
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• “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall
• “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” ― Mandy Hale
• “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
• “We can talk about making a difference or we can make a difference.” ― Anonymous
• “I think there’s no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world.” ― Jack Lew
• “I choose bold. I choose action. I choose what’s right for the people. I choose to make a difference.” ― Bill Richardson
• “Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” ― Barbara De Angelis

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:​​​

• Headey, B. (2007). Life goals matter to happiness: A revision of set-point theory. Social Indicators Research, 86(2), 213–231.
• Hui, B. P., Ng, J. C., Berzaghi, E., Cunningham-Amos, L. A., & Kogan, A. (2020). Rewards of kindness? A meta-analysis of the link between prosociality and well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 146(12), 1084–1116. 
• Kelloway, E. K., Weigand, H., McKee, M. C., & Das, H. (2012). Positive leadership and employee well-being. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(1), 107–117. 
• Piliavin, J. A., & Siegl, E. (2007). Health benefits of volunteering in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 48(4), 450–464.